jeudi 19 avril 2012

17 April: More than 250 actions around the world for the International Day of Peasant's Struggle

(Jakarta, 16 April 2012) Small scale farmers and their allies are
celebrating the International Day ofPeasant's Struggle tomorrow, 17th of
April 2012, organising more than 250 actions and manifestations allover
the globe.
This event commemorates the massacre of 19 landless farmers demanding access to land and justice in1996 in Brazil (1). A full list of actions, ranging from university lectures to land occupations is available onthe website www.viacampesina.org

The international farmers movement La Via Campesina is mobilising
this year to oppose the currentoffensive by some states and large
corporations at international level to grab land from the farmers, women
and men, who have been cultivating it for centuries. Small farmers'
demand is simple: they need access toland to grow food for their
communities. When land is grabbed by transnational companies,
hugemonoculture plantations for export are developed. This only leads to
increased hunger, social unrest andenvironmental devastation, including
the current climate chaos.Tomorrow, Farmers organisations and their allies will reclaim land
all over Brazil and organise mass mobilisations against landgrabbing in
Tete, Mozambique and in front of the Constitutional Court in Jakarta,
Indonesia. In Brussels, they will launch a parody of the EU Commission's
website marking the 50th anniversary of the Common Agriculture Policy.

This action day will take place a few days before the World Bank
Conference on Land and Poverty inWashington DC, April 23-26, 2012. The
Via Campesina mobilisations will voice small farmers' strongopposition
to the World Bank initiative of Responsible Agricultural Investment
(RAI) that is supposed toprevent land grab abuses but in fact
legitimizes farmland grabbing by corporate and state investors.
“In the run up to the Rio+20 Earth Summit, farmers and supporters of
the food sovereignty andagroecology movement are now actively opposing
the “greening of capitalism” that is now promoted atinternational level.
We believe that land, water, seeds and all natural resources should be
used by smallfarmers to protect them and feed to world, and not by
transnational corporations to make profit”, said HenrySaragih, general
coordinator of la Via Campesina.For interviews and more information
Henry Saragih (in English): +62 811655668 (Indonesia)
Itelvina Masioli (in Spanish): + 55 11 63 59 00 44. (Brazil)
Josie Riffaud (in French) + 33(0) 6 13 10 52 91 (France)
Ibrahim Coulibaly (in French) + +22366761126 (Mali)More information on www.viacampesina.org
e-mail: viacampesin@viacampesina.org
(1) On April 17 1996, in the Amazonian state of Pará, at Eldorado dos
Carajás, the state military policemassacred peasants organized in the
Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST), killing 19 individuals.That
day, 1500 women and men organized in the MST occupied and blocked the
BR-150 highway in Eldo-ado dos Carajás, with the intention to pressure
the state and federal governments for agrarian reform. Atabout 4pm, 155
state military police from two brigades surrounded the MST on the
highway, firing tear-gas,live ammunition and machine guns. In addition
to the 19 MST killed during the massacre, three more diedlater from
injuries, and 69 people were wounded. State authorities, the police, the
army and powerful locallandowners were involved in planning and
executing of the massacre. Fifteen years later, none of thoseresponsible
for the massacre at Eldorado dos Carajás has been imprisoned or
punished.